• Satechi 6-in-1 Slim USB-C Adapter review: Few ports, fewer complaints
    appleinsider.com
    The Satechi 6-in-1 Slim USB-C adapter is small enough to fit in the pocket but provides enough connectivity to support your day-to-day needs.Satechi 6-in-1 Slim USB-C Adapter reviewAfter upgrading from an iPhone 14 to an iPhone 16 this fall, all my devices now support USB-C connections for charging and data transfer. This is also the reality for many other Apple consumers, and that's where the value of a small USB-C adapter shows itself.Satechi has been making USB-C and Thunderbolt docks and adapters for years and covers various price ranges and needs. Its latest is the 6-in-1 USB-C Slim Multiport Adapter. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
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  • Marvel Rivals Winter Celebration Event is Live, Adds Free Jeff Skin and Mode
    gamingbolt.com
    Marvel Rivals first seasonal event, Winter Celebration, is now live. It brings new hero outfits, including a free skin for Jeff the Land Shark. Check out the trailer below to see it in action alongside the new mode, Jeffs Winter Splash Festival.Set on Yggsgard: Royal Palace, the new mode sees two teams of Jeff players spreading snowflakes throughout the map. On top of completing missions to unlock his free skin, completing missions also earn decorations for creating a custom greeting card. As for other heroes, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Venom, and Magik get new outfits, though they must be purchased from the in-game store. Theyre available until January 17th, 2025.Marvel Rival is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, having crossed 20 million players since launch. Check out our review here. Season 1 kicks off in January and will bring new maps and heroes with a Luxury Battle Pass featuring new cosmetics.
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  • 11 bit studios Has Cancelled its Narrative-Driven Console Title Project 8
    gamingbolt.com
    Polish studio 11 bit studios, best known forFrostpunkandThis War of Mine, has cancelled a game, codenamedProject 8, that had been in development for years.Described as a narrative-rich game that would also serve as the developers first console-centric title, 11 bit studios has announced that it has cancelled the development of Project 8. Starting development in 2018, by September 30, its development team had expanded to 37 people, while 11 bits investments into the project had grown to PLN 48.4 million (which is roughly $11.79 million).Our vision for Project 8, which was intended to be our first title designed specifically for console gamers, was bold and exciting, says 11 bit studios president Przemysaw Marsza. However, it was conceived under very different market conditions, when narrative-driven, story-rich games held stronger appeal.He went on to speak aboutthe challenges thatProject 8faced during development, from the COVID-19 pandemic to a growing budget to the aforementioned changing market conditions, all of which ultimately raised significant doubts about the projects overall profitability.WithProject 8, we experienced both breakthroughs and setbacks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, stabilising the development team proved particularly difficult, yet progress continued, he explained. While we achieved noticeable quality improvements in certain areas, several critical aspects of the game and its development process remained problematic despite multiple iterations. Over time, delays accumulated, and with each milestone, the projects budget grew.When assessing a project, the Management Board always considers its development progress, including internal reviews and independent surveys, Marsza added. We also factor in market analyses and the games sales and marketing potential. Unfortunately, in this case, our findings revealed unresolved issues and challenges that would require further extensions of the production timeline and corresponding budget increases to address. This, coupled with revised sales forecasts, largely reflecting the changing market environment, raised significant doubts about the projects overall profitability.11 bit studios says it will have to recognize an impairment loss of PLN 48.4 million due toProject 8scancellaton, while the studio is also facing layoffs as a result, with the development team working on the project being made redundant.Whether the entire teams roles are being cut or if some will be transferred to other projects within the studio hasnt been mentioned. 11 bit says it will offer severance packages and assistance in seeking new employment to those affected, and that its currently auditing the assets developed forProject 8 to assess their potential application in other initiatives.2024 saw the launch of 11 bit studiosFrostpunk 2for PC, which is also coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. Next year will also see the release of the studios sci-fi survival titleThe Alters.
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  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Content Roadmap is Coming in Early 2025
    gamingbolt.com
    GSC Game World is closing the year with a major patch for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, but details on the future are coming soon. Along with reaffirming continued updates for the open-world shooter, it will provide a content roadmap when 2025 starts.The first round of A-Life 2.0 updates went live with yesterdays patch, so its a given that there will be more improvements. Two story expansions are also in the works, so perhaps GSC Game World has release windows and potential features to outline in its roadmap.Interestingly, the development team is also updating S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy, the re-release of its original trilogy. It will receive a next-gen patch for consoles, while the PC version will receive more updates. Stay tuned for exact dates in the coming months.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review, where we gave it a nine out of ten despite its various issues. Its sold one million copies in the first few days, with many more players joining through Game Pass.The nd of the year message from the GSC Game World team about plans for 2025. pic.twitter.com/vxzNWXIocc S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) December 20, 2024
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  • <p>Unreal highlights in the media and entertainment industry this year</p>
    www.unrealengine.com
    This year saw some truly standout Unreal Engine-powered media and entertainment projects. Check out the highlights of 2024 as we look back on Dune: Part Two, Fallout, and much more.
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  • Squirrels Are Displaying 'Widespread Carnivorous Behavior' for the First Time in a California Park, New Study Finds
    www.smithsonianmag.com
    A California ground squirrel carries a vole in its mouth after hunting the rodent. Sonja Wild, UC DavisIn the rolling green hills of Californias Briones Regional Park, not far from the urban bustle of Oakland and Berkeley, the squirrels are not what they seem.Instead of simply stuffing their cheeks with fruits, nuts or seeds, the California ground squirrels there are now known to hunt, kill, decapitate and consume voles, a fellow rodent species, according to research published Wednesday in the Journal of Ethology.This was shocking, study lead author Jennifer E. Smith, a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, says in a statement. We had never seen this behavior before.Most people are very familiar with squirrels, accustomed to seeing the animals on their streets or in their yards. And Smith is even more sosince 2013, she has led the Long-term Behavioral Ecology of California Ground Squirrels Project, which monitors squirrel genetics, social behavior and physiological stress responses in the San Francisco Bay area. But even with her intimate knowledge of the rodents, it was only this year that her research team observed ground squirrels actively pursuing and eating meat.The initial discovery was made by undergraduate researchers, who returned from the field site in Briones Regional Park earlier this year with videos of the squirrels behavior to show their incredulous supervisors.At first, we questioned what was going on, Smith tells Suzie Dundas of SFGATE. But seeing the videos was astounding and shifted my perspective on a species that I have spent the last 12 years of my life studying.Vole hunting: Novel predatory and carnivorous behavior by California ground squirrelsWatch on Smith and her team documented 74 interactions between ground squirrels and voles between June and July. In 42 percent of the interactions, the squirrels were hunting the smaller rodents.From then, we saw that behavior almost every day, Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, who co-leads the project with Smith, says in the statement. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.Though theyre largely vegetarians, squirrels have long been known to occasionally consume insects, small bird eggs or meat left out by humans, but direct study of hunting behavior by squirrels remains rare, according to the study. This widespread carnivorous behavior, Smith tells SFGATE, was therefore groundbreaking.In most recorded cases included in the paper, a single squirrel would pursue a single vole across the open landscape, rather than lying in wait or hunting in a group. Sometimes with a stalking motion and a pounce, it would tackle the vole, restrain it with its forepaws, bite the voles neck and remove its head. Then, the squirrel would either strip the fur from the vole to expose cartilage, meat and organs, or tear the meat directly out from the torso.The authors of the study suggest this change in diet is a response to a booming vole population. Using reports from citizen scientists on iNaturalist, an app that allows users to submit photos of plants and animal sightings, the researchers found vole abundance in the state was seven times greater this year than over a ten-year average, and sightings were particularly high in Briones Regional Park.What is most striking and incredible is the speed at which they shifted their behavior to this local surge in vole abundance, Smith tells CNNs Julianna Bragg.Its a wonderful way for them to capitalize on a very abundant resource to provide enough sustenance for many [squirrels] to use, John Koprowski, a wildlife biologist at the University of Wyoming who was not involved in the study, tells CNN. Tia Ravara from UW-Eau Claire, left, and Ryann Su of UC Davis, both members of the research group called "Team Squirrel," watch a California ground squirrel during the 2023 field season. Sonja Wild, UC DavisSquirrels of all ages and sexes took part in the vole hunt, an indication that this dietary flexibility is widespread across the species and may serve as a crucial survival mechanism in response to fluctuating environmental conditions, especially in areas with high human populations.In the face of human insults such as climate change and drought, these animals are resilient and have the potential to adapt to live in a changing world, Smith adds.If acorn or seeds fall into low supply, for instance, squirrels appear primed to find other sources of protein and nutrients. The less stubborn an animal is about its diet, the better suited it is for survival. Although in this case, the squirrels dont seem to be motivated by a scarcity of any other food source, per SFGATE, rather, the high population of voles appears to be the reason for their hunting.But because the study was focused on one regional park, it is unclear if the squirrels behavior willor already hasspread across the state. It is also unknown if the taste for fellow rodents (and the hunting techniques used to capture them) will be passed onto future generations of squirrels once this vole surge abates. What the opportunistic squirrels door eatnext remains to be seen.Digital technology can inform the science, Smith says in the statement, but theres no replacement for going out there and witnessing the behavior, because what animals are doing always surprises us.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, California, Hunting, Mammals, New Research, Rodents and Shrews, Scientists, Squirrels
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  • Google Fibers internet plans are getting simpler
    www.theverge.com
    Google Fiber is changing up its internet plans in Huntsville, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee. The new Core 1 Gig, Home 3 Gig, and Edge 8 Gig plans appear to have launched last month and streamline the companys existing options, as spotted earlier by 9to5Google.These options replace the 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 5 Gig, and 8 Gig plans currently available in other supported cities. Like the existing 1 Gig plan, Google Fibers new Core 1 Gig option costs $70 / month with symmetrical 1 gigabit per second upload and download speeds. It comes with GFibers Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E Router and supports up to one mesh extender. Screenshot: GoogleThe $100 / month Home 3 Gig plan sits between the $100 / month 2 Gig and $125 / month 5 Gig options, offering up to 3-gig speeds, a GFiber Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E router, up to two mesh extenders, along with priority room optimization that brings additional wired connectivity to the rooms that matter most. Subscribers can also add an internet battery backup for an extra $10 per month, which offers up to two hours of full-bandwidth uptime, with no internet slow downs in case a power outage knocks out your router or fiber jack.Lastly, Googles $150 / month 8 Gig Edge always-on plan comes with upload and download speeds of up to 8 gigabits per second, the same GFiber Wi-Fi 6E router, and up to two mesh extenders. It also offers up to 5,000 square feet of coverage, priority room optimization, an included internet backup battery, and a 25 percent refund if your internet goes down for over 45 minutes.Its not clear whether Google will bring these plans to more cities, and the company didnt immediately respond to The Verges request for more information. Since Google Fibers inception in 2010, the company has been gradually expanding its fiber footprint across the US while achieving faster speeds. Google rolled out a 20-gig Wi-Fi 7 plan in select cities last year.
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  • The MacBook Pro with M4 is matching its record low with $200 off
    www.theverge.com
    In recent years, base MacBook Pro models have felt like an automatic skip. It made more sense to pay just a few hundred more for upgrades that truly justify the Pro moniker, or save money by stepping down to a MacBook Air without many sacrifices. But thats changed as of the M4 model. With the base MacBook Pro with M4 matching its all-time low price of $1,399 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo right now, its quite possibly the best value of any MacBook available.RelatedThe 10-core M4 chipset has a decent speed advantage over the 8-core M3 inside last years MacBook Pro, of course. Apple claims its CPU has the strongest single-threaded performance of anything out there, not to mention a neural engine thats two times faster than the M3s. Our benchmarking certainly corroborates that its faster, although depending on what youre doing on the laptop, you may not notice much difference. But what really sets the 2024 model apart is its starting allotment of 16GB of RAM, which is double that offered by previous generations. That helps with the Apple Intelligence features seeding into macOS Sequoia and also makes it suitable for heavier tasks than most average workloads require.The M4 MacBook Pro also picked up a third Thunderbolt 4 port this cycle, plus an upgraded 1080p webcam that has a taller field-of-view for the new Desk View feature. Those are all very good advantages for the money, and you should only feel compelled to step up further if you have stronger needs such as heavy 4K or 8K video editing, photo editing, programming, or other intensive tasks.Read our Apple MacBook Pro M4 review.14-inch MacBook Pro with M4$1399$159913% off$1399$1399$159913% offThe entry-level MacBook Pro with M4 starts with 16GB of RAM double that of its predecessor and a 512GB SSD for the same starting price of $1,599. It also gets a third USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 port and comes in a new space black option.More fun Friday dealsThe Beats Studio Buds Plus in silver are matching their all-time low of $119.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, which is only $10 more than the lowest price to date. If you want to join the translucent revolution and get it in clear (or other colors), those are just $129.99 ($40 off) right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The wireless earbuds offer pretty good sound quality and effective noise cancellation, though not quite as good as the second-gen AirPods Pro. They last longer than Apples flagship earbuds, however, with up to nine hours of battery life in the buds and 36 hours total with the case. They also pair nicely with both iOS and Android devices, supporting several native features for each platform. Read our review. You can get a four-pack of Apple AirTags for $69.99 (about $29 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is matching the lowest price to date. These Bluetooth trackers can be a popular stocking stuffer option for the iPhone owners in your life, or to pair with your own keys, bags, luggage, and other things youd rather not lose. Not only will they constantly report their last known location, but on iPhones with ultra wideband radios (iPhone 11 and newer), Precision Find My will offer guided compass directions thatll lead you within inches of the item once youre in range.If you want some floral home decor that doesnt need babysitting, Legos flowers are a fun alternative to artificial plants. Take the 608-piece Lego Icons Poinsettia set, which is down to $34.98 (about $15 off) at Amazon right now. The resulting construction depicts a bouquet of the popular flowers sprouting from a woven basket, and you can adjust its various petals and leaves for posing however you like. As of this writing, its still shipping fast enough to arrive before Christmas, making it a great option for last-minute gifts or to add to your festive holiday decorations.
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  • We repaired an iPhone to see if iOS 18 fixes iPhone repair
    www.theverge.com
    We started making this video with one question in mind: What makes iPhone repair so difficult? And immediately the answer was: a lot.Ive never repaired a phone before, so I was particularly nervous that the first one I was opening was an iPhone. This wasnt just because I didnt want to destroy a phone with a mistake but also because I was somewhat familiar with Apples reputation with repairability. However, I wanted to test out a new repair feature Apple introduced recently with iOS 18 called repair assistant to see if it fixes a years-long practice of Apples that makes iPhones incredibly difficult to repair.Before iOS 18, replacing components of an iPhone like the display or battery without going through Apples repair channels would reduce the functionality of the device because iPhones are programmed to recognize when parts are swapped out. This is because of a design choice called parts pairing.Apple uses parts pairing to assign serial numbers to parts inside a device and tie those parts to the logic board. This means you cant replace any of these parts on your own or at a repair shop without having a way to pair a new parts serial number to the device. If a part was replaced, some functions of the phone tied to that part would be disabled like True Tone, Face ID, or Battery Health. Repair assistant is an on-device software tool thats meant to allow independent repair shops and DIY users to pair new parts to their phones without going through Apples procedures. This means youll be able to use genuine Apple used parts to make repairs, and iOS 18.1 is reported to extend functionality back to devices using third-party displays and batteries based on a promise from Apples whitepaper Longevity, by Design.I set out to discover if iOS 18s repair assistant fixes this major issue facing iPhone repair by asking Shahram Mokhtari, the lead teardown technician at iFixit, for a crash course in Apples history of repairability and how parts pairing has impacted that. I also reached out to right-to-repair advocate and iPhone repair and microsoldering expert Jessa Jones of iPad Rehab to walk me through my first attempt at iPhone repair and test out firsthand how repair assistant works. Jessa also showed me some of the odd workarounds and pitfalls that come up in independent iPhone repair when parts cant be sourced from Apple.Something I went in thinking was complicated turned out to be way, way more complicated as we got into the details of the specific frustrations facing independent iPhone repair shops. Watch the full episode on YouTube and go down the rabbit hole that is parts pairing with me. Also let us know if you have any tech questions you want us to answer next!
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  • Lex Luthor Actor Jesse Eisenberg Says Batman v Superman 'Hurt My Career in a Real Way'
    www.ign.com
    Zombieland and The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg has said his role as DC villain Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hurt his career "in a real way."The widely panned film arrived in 2016 as one piece of the now defunct DC Extended Universe, which starred Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman.Eisenberg said on the Armchair Expert podcast that he's been in other poorly received films but, given just how mainstream DC is, the backlash for Batman v Superman was much greater.Movie Stills -- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"I was in this Batman movie and the Batman movie was so poorly received, and I was so poorly received," Eisenberg said. "Ive never said this before and its kind of embarrassing to admit but I genuinely think it actually hurt my career in a real way, because I was poorly received in something so public."Ive been in poorly received things that just dont see the light of day, and for the most part, no one knows. But this was so public, and I dont read notices or reviews or movie press or anything, so I was unaware of how poorly it was received."Since starring in Batman v Superman, Eisenberg has appeared in the likes of Now You See Me 2, The Art of Self-Defense, Vivarium, and Zombieland: Double Tap. Now You See Me 3 is due out November 2025.Batman v Superman, as just the second DCEU film, set the standard of quality fans could expect from DC's Marvel Cinematic Universe rival. It was followed almost exclusively by critical duds such as Suicide Squad, Aquaman, Justice League, and Black Adam before being scrapped and replaced by the new DC Universe, which kicks off proper on July 11, 2025 with Superman.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
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